I like Magenta's style. Pink is awesome. Anyway, writing wise, it was a great chapter. Descriptive. Yeah, I can't be much more constructive than that right now. I have one question though. What happened to Purrloin?

Sorry for the wait for this chapter, I've had a ton of spriting judging to do, as well as some AP English reading.

Spoiler:Chapter 19 - The Trees of Moran

Highlight this box with your cursor to read the spoiler text.“Joey, quick!” Rachel sounded panicked, “Get Erika’s bag, she can’t breathe!” There was no need to tell me twice, I fumbled around on the ground, my hands still shaking a little from the encounter with Magenta. Erika’s bag was small and green, and matched her uniform perfectly. It was made of a tough, coarse material. I snatched it up, and tossed it over to Rachel and Erika. Rachel had dragged Erika up to her knees, and forced a little bit of plastic into her hand. It was an inhaler. A few second passes so slowly after she had used the inhaler that they could have been counted as hours. Sure enough, the wheezing subsided, and she pushed herself back onto her feet. “I’m so sorry; I should have told you guys.” Her eyes were red and her face was wet, “I hate having it, I’m ashamed that this is in me. I never told Ron or Rick, the rangers from H.Q., I thought they would stop me from becoming a full Ranger.” Rachel opened her mouth to say something, but stopped when we all heard the sounds of approaching footsteps. It was either Ron or Rick, I didn’t know who was who, and a handful of the Junior Rangers. “Are you all alright?” The head ranger said, standing tall and proud, looking down at the three of us. “We lost Erika’s signal.” Erika stepped forward with an air of s child confessing something bad to their parents, “It was my fault sir, I panicked when we saw Magenta. I couldn’t do anything.” There was a brief murmur from the young rangers before the head ranger continued again, “Magenta was here?” “Yes, I don’t know why but…” “Come on Rangers, we have to go check the trees! Erika, finish your mission ASAP, and get back to base. I can’t have you out long without your transceiver.” “Yes sir.” Her voice sounded so timid, this must be as bad as him yelling at her. I felt so bad for her. Her masters still didn’t know about her asthma, and it seemed like she was going through more grief to hide it. By losing her transceiver, it seemed like she’d lost her confidence too. As we went down the path, she dragged her feet a little, head hanging low. All of a sudden, she stiffened, picked her head up, and glanced around. “I’ve just thought of something, are you two willing to stick with me for a little longer?” She asked, clearly eager to take her idea and run with it. We both nodded, and we were off. She led us off the path, under and around a million tree branches. She seemed to know exactly where she was going, although we had no clue. Past a small collection of new trees, over a tiny little stream, and under even more branches, we continued this strange journey. “I’m sorry for all this,” Erika said out of the blue, “I just had a thought. Rick doesn’t know how the three trees of Moran really work. There’s this hollow spot in the middle of all of them, but it’s tricky to get to, and that’s the only real way to check if the trees are really okay. They always look strong and perfect on the outside. Here we are.” Up above us was the most magnificent sight I’d ever seen. It was a giant Oak Tree, so big around that even if Erika, Rachel and I all joined hands, we couldn’t reach all the way around the trunk. Its roots were massive; there was one close to me that was wider around than I was. Wind and rain had washed away enough of the dirt around the base of this glorious tree that we could see some of the roots. Erika was crawling around the base of the tree. After about five minutes of waiting, Erika waved us over to a point in the trunk. “Right here” she said, “We have to crawl to get in.” She went first and quickly disappeared into the mess of roots. I crawled in, and was followed by Rachel. The ground was very soft and damp under my hands, despite the fact that it hadn’t rained in over a week. Thin strands of roots hung down from the ceiling of the tunnel, and bushed against my face and arms with every movement. There was something horribly claustrophobic about the tunnel. I felt trapped, Erika in front and Rachel in back, there was no way out. Every time I brushed against a bit of root, I thought the tunnel was going to cave in. Right in front of me, Erika straightened up; we’d made it to the inside of the tree! Instantly standing up, I wished I’d remained on the outside. It was horrifying; the inside of the tree was completely black, charred and burned. Rachel let out a little gasp when she stood up too. “Kataya is dying.”

Spoiler:Chapter 19 - The Trees of Moran

“Joey, quick!” Rachel sounded panicked, “Get Erika’s bag, she can’t breathe!” There was no need to tell me twice, I fumbled around on the ground, my hands still shaking a little from the encounter with Magenta. Erika’s bag was small and green, and matched her uniform perfectly. It was made of a tough, coarse material. I snatched it up, and tossed it over to Rachel and Erika. Rachel had dragged Erika up to her knees, and forced a little bit of plastic into her hand. It was an inhaler. A few second passes so slowly after she had used the inhaler that they could have been counted as hours. Sure enough, the wheezing subsided, and she pushed herself back onto her feet. “I’m so sorry; I should have told you guys.” Her eyes were red and her face was wet, “I hate having it, I’m ashamed that this is in me. I never told Ron or Rick, the rangers from H.Q., I thought they would stop me from becoming a full Ranger.” Rachel opened her mouth to say something, but stopped when we all heard the sounds of approaching footsteps. It was either Ron or Rick, I didn’t know who was who, and a handful of the Junior Rangers. “Are you all alright?” The head ranger said, standing tall and proud, looking down at the three of us. “We lost Erika’s signal.” Erika stepped forward with an air of s child confessing something bad to their parents, “It was my fault sir, I panicked when we saw Magenta. I couldn’t do anything.” There was a brief murmur from the young rangers before the head ranger continued again, “Magenta was here?” “Yes, I don’t know why but…” “Come on Rangers, we have to go check the trees! Erika, finish your mission ASAP, and get back to base. I can’t have you out long without your transceiver.” “Yes sir.” Her voice sounded so timid, this must be as bad as him yelling at her. I felt so bad for her. Her masters still didn’t know about her asthma, and it seemed like she was going through more grief to hide it. By losing her transceiver, it seemed like she’d lost her confidence too. As we went down the path, she dragged her feet a little, head hanging low. All of a sudden, she stiffened, picked her head up, and glanced around. “I’ve just thought of something, are you two willing to stick with me for a little longer?” She asked, clearly eager to take her idea and run with it. We both nodded, and we were off. She led us off the path, under and around a million tree branches. She seemed to know exactly where she was going, although we had no clue. Past a small collection of new trees, over a tiny little stream, and under even more branches, we continued this strange journey. “I’m sorry for all this,” Erika said out of the blue, “I just had a thought. Rick doesn’t know how the three trees of Moran really work. There’s this hollow spot in the middle of all of them, but it’s tricky to get to, and that’s the only real way to check if the trees are really okay. They always look strong and perfect on the outside. Here we are.” Up above us was the most magnificent sight I’d ever seen. It was a giant Oak Tree, so big around that even if Erika, Rachel and I all joined hands, we couldn’t reach all the way around the trunk. Its roots were massive; there was one close to me that was wider around than I was. Wind and rain had washed away enough of the dirt around the base of this glorious tree that we could see some of the roots. Erika was crawling around the base of the tree. After about five minutes of waiting, Erika waved us over to a point in the trunk. “Right here” she said, “We have to crawl to get in.” She went first and quickly disappeared into the mess of roots. I crawled in, and was followed by Rachel. The ground was very soft and damp under my hands, despite the fact that it hadn’t rained in over a week. Thin strands of roots hung down from the ceiling of the tunnel, and bushed against my face and arms with every movement. There was something horribly claustrophobic about the tunnel. I felt trapped, Erika in front and Rachel in back, there was no way out. Every time I brushed against a bit of root, I thought the tunnel was going to cave in. Right in front of me, Erika straightened up; we’d made it to the inside of the tree! Instantly standing up, I wished I’d remained on the outside. It was horrifying; the inside of the tree was completely black, charred and burned. Rachel let out a little gasp when she stood up too. “Kataya is dying.”

Ron and Rick are just doing their jobs, since Erika is still a kid, they're responsible if she gets hurt. They're trying to keep her safe, and a large mysterious forest with an infamous criminal about isn't exactly the safest place to be with no communication :3

Got it done a little later than planned, I've been loving lineart lately :3

Spoiler:Chapter 20 - Moran

Highlight this box with your cursor to read the spoiler text. The trip back under the roots of the great tree seemed much shorter than the trip into the tree. The roots swept against my face as I crawled between Erika and Rachel, The tunnel felt hot, much hotter than last time. I kept bumping into Erika, there was a drive in me, almost animalistic, to get out and run. Erika came out into the sun, and I was so fast behind her I might as well have come up at the same time. The air seemed drier now. “You guys have got to go onto to Moran City now. I have to go let Ron know about the tree, and I’ll get in trouble if I still have you two with me.” Erika said, more businesslike than I’d heard her before. “We can’t just leave the forest!” I exclaimed, and Rachel was totally with me, I could tell. “Listen, I have a mission to guide you two to Moran City.” “We’ve all been dragged into this by Magenta; we’re all part of this story!” “That’s not my problem! I have to do my job; I have to become a Ranger!” “We can’t just walk away!” “If you care so much, then go to the Elder in Moran, and tell him.” We nodded, and followed her quickly back onto the trail towards the city. The path had obviously been used a lot; it was worn down; with no grass growing where feet had fallen. The path began growing wider and wider, and the dark shadows from the trees growing lighter and lighter. The brightness of the sky outside the forest was finally visible. “Go on you two; Moran is right in that clearing, it’s all that’s there.” We nodded and thanked her for her help, and ran into the clearing. Several old log cabins filled the large clearing. Most of these looked like houses, although a few looked like shops, and a Pokémon Center and a Pokémon Gym. Every building was made of logs that had fallen from the forest. The windows in the buildings were glass-free, save for the Gym, Pokémon Center, and a few random houses. The rest were simply empty frames, inviting the cool forest breeze. Right now however, I was not interested in the log cabins, the glassless windows, or the forest breeze; my only care right now was finding the elder. Rachel and I began looking around; we had no idea where to look for the elder whatsoever. “What do you think?” Rachel asked, obviously as clueless as I was. “We could ask at the Pokémon Center…?” It was a better place to start than none. We walked over, and pushed open the heavy wooden door of the Pokémon Center. The inside looked as cabin-like as the outside had, but the walls had been cut down to be smooth and flat. There weren’t any trainers sitting at the small wooden tables, or standing beside the bookshelves. In fact, the only person in the whole room besides Rachel and me was the nurse, lounging behind the counter with a book in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other. Rachel wasted no time in approaching her. “Excuse me, “she said, and without waiting for a reply continued, “Do you know where the elder lives, we need to find him!” She pulled herself out of her chair, shoved a bookmark in her book, and said “He lives in the house in the middle of the town, with red flowers in the outside, and glass in the windows.” “Thanks a million!” I said, and Rachel and I ran out of the Pokémon Center to the building she had described. There it was, a two-story log cabin, with beautiful red lilies in neat little gardens surrounding the porch. The porch was very wide; it stretched the full length of the cabin. Rachel ran up the steps to the porch before I did, and banged hard on the door. She didn’t have to be that forceful…

The door opened pretty fast, a young boy was standing in the doorway. He looked like he was about nine years old, with shaggy dark hair, and deep green eyes. “Do you need something?” He asked, obviously trained to answer the door. “Yes,” I answered, “We’re looking for the Elder, does he live here?” ‘Lemme go get him. Please, come on in.” We stepped through the doorway, onto an old ornate rug. The walls inside this house were covered with old paintings of the forest and countryside, hand-woven quilts, and across one long wall, a large map of Kataya. The little boy had run upstairs, calling ‘Dad! Dad!’ all sense of formality clearly forgotten. A minute or so later, slow footsteps could be heard on the staircase. An old man appeared, balding and very grey. His eyes were narrowed, but his face seemed very kind and reassuring. “Yes girls, what seems to be the trouble?” He asked, his voice having an instantly calming effect on the whole room. Rachel seemed stunned, so I spoke instead, “There’s a problem in the forest. One of the great trees, the inside is all dark and dead looking…” I could have worded that better, I sounded like such a stupid kid. He seemed to instantly stiffen, very seriously alert. “Show me, now!”

We ran out to the forest, the elder moving with surprising speed for his age. Hoping against all hope that we could remember the route Erika has taken us on, we rushed down the trail, looking for some sign of where we had left the path. Finally, I saw it first, a couple bent branches looking like they’d been pushed through, and broken twigs on the ground. I pointed these out to Rachel and the Elder, and we continued towards the great tree. I tried to go slower, not knowing how well the Elder could push through all the branches, but within a few seconds he’d passed me. There was no reason to worry. Soon, the tree towered above us, but something was wrong. The black, burned, dead looking parts of the wood we’d seen on the inside has begun to spread, now showing on the outside of the massive tree. More footsteps behind us, and we were joined by the rangers, Erika, Ron or Rick, and some other young rangers. Either Ron or Rick stepped forward, and turned to face all assembled. “Evacuate Moran, we don’t have much time.”

Spoiler:Chapter 20 - Moran

The trip back under the roots of the great tree seemed much shorter than the trip into the tree. The roots swept against my face as I crawled between Erika and Rachel, The tunnel felt hot, much hotter than last time. I kept bumping into Erika, there was a drive in me, almost animalistic, to get out and run. Erika came out into the sun, and I was so fast behind her I might as well have come up at the same time. The air seemed drier now. “You guys have got to go onto to Moran City now. I have to go let Ron know about the tree, and I’ll get in trouble if I still have you two with me.” Erika said, more businesslike than I’d heard her before. “We can’t just leave the forest!” I exclaimed, and Rachel was totally with me, I could tell. “Listen, I have a mission to guide you two to Moran City.” “We’ve all been dragged into this by Magenta; we’re all part of this story!” “That’s not my problem! I have to do my job; I have to become a Ranger!” “We can’t just walk away!” “If you care so much, then go to the Elder in Moran, and tell him.” We nodded, and followed her quickly back onto the trail towards the city. The path had obviously been used a lot; it was worn down; with no grass growing where feet had fallen. The path began growing wider and wider, and the dark shadows from the trees growing lighter and lighter. The brightness of the sky outside the forest was finally visible. “Go on you two; Moran is right in that clearing, it’s all that’s there.” We nodded and thanked her for her help, and ran into the clearing. Several old log cabins filled the large clearing. Most of these looked like houses, although a few looked like shops, and a Pokémon Center and a Pokémon Gym. Every building was made of logs that had fallen from the forest. The windows in the buildings were glass-free, save for the Gym, Pokémon Center, and a few random houses. The rest were simply empty frames, inviting the cool forest breeze. Right now however, I was not interested in the log cabins, the glassless windows, or the forest breeze; my only care right now was finding the elder. Rachel and I began looking around; we had no idea where to look for the elder whatsoever. “What do you think?” Rachel asked, obviously as clueless as I was. “We could ask at the Pokémon Center…?” It was a better place to start than none. We walked over, and pushed open the heavy wooden door of the Pokémon Center. The inside looked as cabin-like as the outside had, but the walls had been cut down to be smooth and flat. There weren’t any trainers sitting at the small wooden tables, or standing beside the bookshelves. In fact, the only person in the whole room besides Rachel and me was the nurse, lounging behind the counter with a book in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other. Rachel wasted no time in approaching her. “Excuse me, “she said, and without waiting for a reply continued, “Do you know where the elder lives, we need to find him!” She pulled herself out of her chair, shoved a bookmark in her book, and said “He lives in the house in the middle of the town, with red flowers in the outside, and glass in the windows.” “Thanks a million!” I said, and Rachel and I ran out of the Pokémon Center to the building she had described. There it was, a two-story log cabin, with beautiful red lilies in neat little gardens surrounding the porch. The porch was very wide; it stretched the full length of the cabin. Rachel ran up the steps to the porch before I did, and banged hard on the door. She didn’t have to be that forceful…

The door opened pretty fast, a young boy was standing in the doorway. He looked like he was about nine years old, with shaggy dark hair, and deep green eyes. “Do you need something?” He asked, obviously trained to answer the door. “Yes,” I answered, “We’re looking for the Elder, does he live here?” ‘Lemme go get him. Please, come on in.” We stepped through the doorway, onto an old ornate rug. The walls inside this house were covered with old paintings of the forest and countryside, hand-woven quilts, and across one long wall, a large map of Kataya. The little boy had run upstairs, calling ‘Dad! Dad!’ all sense of formality clearly forgotten. A minute or so later, slow footsteps could be heard on the staircase. An old man appeared, balding and very grey. His eyes were narrowed, but his face seemed very kind and reassuring. “Yes girls, what seems to be the trouble?” He asked, his voice having an instantly calming effect on the whole room. Rachel seemed stunned, so I spoke instead, “There’s a problem in the forest. One of the great trees, the inside is all dark and dead looking…” I could have worded that better, I sounded like such a stupid kid. He seemed to instantly stiffen, very seriously alert. “Show me, now!”

We ran out to the forest, the elder moving with surprising speed for his age. Hoping against all hope that we could remember the route Erika has taken us on, we rushed down the trail, looking for some sign of where we had left the path. Finally, I saw it first, a couple bent branches looking like they’d been pushed through, and broken twigs on the ground. I pointed these out to Rachel and the Elder, and we continued towards the great tree. I tried to go slower, not knowing how well the Elder could push through all the branches, but within a few seconds he’d passed me. There was no reason to worry. Soon, the tree towered above us, but something was wrong. The black, burned, dead looking parts of the wood we’d seen on the inside has begun to spread, now showing on the outside of the massive tree. More footsteps behind us, and we were joined by the rangers, Erika, Ron or Rick, and some other young rangers. Either Ron or Rick stepped forward, and turned to face all assembled. “Evacuate Moran, we don’t have much time.”